Proactively “From the Sea”; an agent of change leveraging the littoral best practices for a paradigm breaking six-sigma best business case to synergize a consistent design in the global commons, rightsizing the core values supporting our mission statement via the 5-vector model through cultural diversity.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Dr. Phil should be ashamed of himself. He should immediately apologize and then do the right thing - bring on the vast majority of veterans who have been through multiple combat tours and are .... just fine. Either that are bring on others who have PTSD who are ... just fine.
As Casey has covered over at YouServed;

Dr. Phil, arguably one of the most popular talk show hosts on the planet, decided to feature this issue on his show this week. And while he could have taken a reasonable approach, he went straight for the gut instead. Titling the show “From Heroes To Monsters”, he painted a picture of vets with PTSD as ticking time bombs of violence, describing them as damaged goods who “destroy families” and “dismantle marriages”.
One of Dr. Phil’s guests, Matt, is a former Marine who struggles with PTSD. He speaks about how, while deployed to Afghanistan, he repeatedly stabbed an enemy combatant in the face, even after he was dead, to get his anger out. He also claims he saw “lots” of innocent people killed, including women and children. (His last name isn’t given, so it’s impossible to verify his claims of killing women and children while deployed to Afghanistan.)
After Matt, Dr. Phil featured Mark and Heather. Mark is another veteran with PTSD who admits he has violent rages, says his life has been destroyed, and is afraid of what he will do to his family. Heather’s husband, Duane, had PTSD. He beat her and set her on fire.
The common thread between all of these stories: violence. Did Dr. Phil ever stop to point out that most veterans with PTSD don’t end up setting their wives on fire or stabbing people repeatedly in the face? Of course not.

Let's go back to one of my first posts back in 2004 quoting one of my first sources,

Right after Vietnam, an entire army of poseurs, fakers, and professional victim pimps began a process of smearing and mal-defining an entire generation of men that served their country with distinction and honor; the Vietnam Generation. The whole “We are creating monsters” theme of the article brought me back to a book that every military professional should read as part of their professional education; Stolen Valor: How the Vietnam Generation Was Robbed of its Heroes and its History, by B.G. Burkett and Glenna Whitley;

Here is a short clip from the show.

Great job Dr. Phil. As you know - most Americans don't have someone close who have served in the military - this is the image you are giving everyone.

Remember the formula. If all vets have PTSD, then they are victims. If they are victims, they are to be pitied. If they are to be pitied, they are not your equal. If they are not your equal, their options do not carry the same impact. If their opinions do not carry the same impact, they are marginalized. If they are marginalized, they can be ignored. If they can be ignored, then I don't need to include them in our national discourse. Etc ... etc ... etc.